North Carolina Schools Get
More Say in Hiring Builders

As North Carolina pours an unprecedented $1.8 billion into building new schools, it's letting more contractors in on the action.

The General Assembly this month loosened the rules governing how school districts pick builders -- rules that were among the most restrictive in the U.S. The move signals the beginning of the end of 73 years of advantages enjoyed by electricians, plumbers and other subcontractors who do government work in...